Valuing Businesses
March 28, 2008
A question often received from attorneys in matrimonial or other litigated matters is whether or not there are any specific standards that a CPA must adhere to when performing a business valuation engagement. Until Jan. 1, 2008, the answer was, effectively, 'No.' As of the beginning of this year, that answer has now changed.
National Push for Almony Reform Is Growing
March 28, 2008
Legislation and lawsuits challenging the traditional notions of alimony ' such as how long it should be paid and by whom ' are popping up across the nation. At issue is whether judges have too much discretion in deciding how much alimony should be paid, for how long, and whether they unfairly favor ex-wives.
State's Recognition of Foreign Same-Sex Marriages Moves One Step Further
March 28, 2008
Many same-sex couples made the trip to Massachusetts (for the short time that that state allowed them to) or to Canada to take their vows. Now, New York's courts are gradually building up a string of cases to answer the question that hung so ominously over those out-of-jurisdiction marriages: Would they be recognized here? And the answer, so far, is, 'Yes.'
Panel Finds International Custody Battle Belongs in NY
March 28, 2008
A Manhattan appellate court refused to relinquish jurisdiction over a custody case in which a mother fled with her 5-year-old son to Italy because she thought she was not getting a fair hearing in a New York Family Court. In an unusual ruling in late December 2007, the Appellate Division, First Department, reversed the conclusion of Manhattan Family Court that the case belonged in the Italian courts.
International Custody Disputes
March 28, 2008
Family lawyers with cases involving application of Section 105(c) of the UCCJEA need to marshal Internet and other resources to determine whether the child custody law of a foreign jurisdiction violates a child's fundamental right to safety and protection. Although Section 105(c) does not provide a broad exception to the otherwise stringent standards of the UCCJEA, in cases where a child's welfare is threatened by deferral of jurisdiction to a foreign tribunal or enforcement of a foreign order, a trial court can invoke Section 105(c) to circumvent application of the UCCJEA's rigorous jurisdictional and enforcement provisions.
Book Review
March 28, 2008
A Review of "The Little Black Book on Law Firm Marketing and Business Development.
Educating Marketing Professionals on Key Financial Metrics and Measurements
March 28, 2008
Today, marketing and business development professionals need to understand law firm finance and economics. Likewise, law firm chief financial officers need a better understanding and appreciation of marketing strategies. The success of your firm will depend on how well these two disciplines work together.
Technology in Marketing: Competitive Intelligence in Law Firms
March 28, 2008
Few firms evaluate the long-term growth of competitive intelligence (CI) in firm business development, and even fewer have sought to build systematically on current efforts to create an intelligence function that can predict opportunities. This article seeks to illustrate how a law firm can build a robust intelligence function ' gathering both competitive and business intelligence ' that will provide the greatest strategic benefit over the short and long terms.
